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should Clarence closely be mew'd up,-
About a prophecy, which says that G'
Of Edward's heirs the murderer shall be.

Richard, in all his plotting and scheming sets about his plan to bring down this hierarchy, beginning with his brother George. He is tricky and subtle, creating situations by which his enemies tear each other down. He orchestrates it and then sits back and watches his schemes come to fruition.

In Act 1, Scene 2 (lines 68-84), Richard seduces Lady Anne, whose husband and father-in-law he has just killed. This scene illustrates how Richard thrives when pitted against a worthy adversary in a battle of wits. He comes alive in this stichomythic banter, which could not exist at all without the conflict between himself and his opponent. His skill in twisting words and his ability to manipulate the situations in which he finds himself and the minds of those around him is showcased in this exchange.

Richard:
Lady, you know no rules of charity,
Which renders good for bad, blessings for curses.
Anne:
Villain, thou know'st no law of God
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.
Richard:
But I know none, and therefore am no beast.
Anne:
O wonderful, when devils tell the truth!
Richard:
More wonderful when angels are so angry.
Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman,
Of these supposed evils to give me leave,
By circumstance, but to acquit myself.
Anne:
Vouchsafe, diffus'd infection of a man,
For these known evils but to give me leave,
By circumstance, to curse thy cursed self.
Richard:
Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have
Some patient leisure to excuse myself.
Anne:
Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make
No excuse current, but to hang thyself.

In this setting, Richard is at his "best," not in virtue, but in the display of his cunning and cleverness. He enjoys fighting with Anne, and his identity is strengthened by the tension and pressure in this relationship. Richard thrives in conflict, and he has created great conflict between himself and Anne. For him, the pleasure of this creation is culminated in this banter, a battle of wits by which he hopes to achieve the unimaginable; draw love from the heart of a woman who hates him more than anyone on earth, for he has killed her family. Richard takes pleasure, not only in the fact that he has brought about the murder of Anne's husband and father-in-law, and not only in the prospect of wooing her in spite of this, but in the process through which he seduces her. His satisfaction is in using his cleverness to take

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